Fastest Interface on the Planet

Quantum 2

Quantum 2

Your expandable, ultra-high definition recording system.

Taking full advantage of the high-speed Thunderbolt bus and ADAT Optical I/O, the PreSonus® Quantum 2 audio/MIDI interface delivers up to 22 inputs and 24 outputs, with extremely low latency. Boasting superb audio quality; 24-bit, 192 kHz recording and playback; recallable XMAX microphone preamps; and the ability to expand your system as your needs grow, it’s a great choice for a wide variety of professional and semi-pro producers and electronic musicians.

We cut the wait.

Every design decision during Quantum 2’s engineering was made with one goal in mind: speed. Quantum 2 sports high-speed Thunderbolt connectivity and a no-frills, direct-to-DAW architecture, with no DSP. The result is our leanest, fastest, lowest-latency interface to date.

Cutting-edge 24-bit, 192 kHz converters with 120 dB of dynamic range and a surprising amount of expandability and software control options round out the package.

The Quantum-series proprietary Thunderbolt driver was written from the ground up to deliver ultra-low-latency performance while maximizing efficiency. By reducing the roundtrip latency to below 1 ms*, you can easily monitor performances—including plug-in processing—through your DAW with no performance-killing latency. DAW monitoring also allows you to manage your session and your musicians’ monitor mixes from a single window. Even at higher buffer sizes, Quantum-series interfaces deliver consistent low-latency performance.

The Quantum driver utilizes the bus master Direct Memory Access (DMA) to transfer audio data directly to and from the main memory without using CPU processing and the overhead that would come with it. DMA supports 64-bit addressing on systems with 4 GB or more of RAM. A companion DMA engine was also implemented in the Quantum hardware to read digital audio data directly between the ADC/DAC and the computer memory, one sample at a time.

For maximum efficiency, samples are transferred from the Quantum DMA engine directly into driver memory as a 32-bit word to match the way the Quantum driver handles the audio. Where possible, audio samples are also transferred into driver memory in the exact order that the driver expects. This helps to avoid alignment problems and the like, allowing you to run your Quantum drivers at extremely low buffer settings without overtaxing your CPU.

Expandable when you need more I/O—up to 80 in and out.

The Quantum 2 offers two combo mic/instrument inputs and two combo mic/line inputs, each with a digitally-controlled XMAX preamp and individual +48V phantom power. You also get four balanced ¼” TRS outputs and a headphone out with dedicated volume control. But that’s just the start. With ADAT Optical I/O and S/PDIF stereo digital I/O, you can have up to 18 digital inputs and outputs. And if you need even more I/O channels, you can stack up to four Quantum 2 interfaces via Thunderbolt to create a monster system with up to 80 in and out. BNC word clock I/O ensures your Quantum and other digital audio devices operate in tight sync. And of course you get MIDI I/O, too.

The Quantum 2’s four analog inputs, four line-level analog outputs, stereo headphone output, and stereo S/PDIF digital I/O might be all you need today. But your studio is likely to grow in time, and so can your Quantum 2 recording system. Its dual ADAT Optical I/O provides up to 16 more channels of digital I/O at up to 48 kHz (up to 8 channels at 96 kHz).

The Quantum 2’s ADAT I/O lets you add any ADAT-compatible A/D/A converter but we highly recommend the PreSonus DigiMax DP88 preamp/converter, which seamlessly extends the analog I/O on the Quantum 2 with eight digitally controlled XMAX preamps, and word clock I/O. The DP88’s mic preamps are fully remote-controllable from UC Surface, Studio One, and Studio One Remote when connected via ADAT Lightpipe to the Quantum 2 so that they naturally extend your analog inputs both sonically and functionally.

If your studio grows even more, you can stack up to four Quantum 2 interfaces via Thunderbolt. This enables you to create a monster system with up to 80 in and out—more than enough to cover almost any studio’s recording needs.

Superior sound.

Audiophile-grade digital converters, low-jitter clocking, and recallable preamps add up to a superior recording and listening experience. The Quantum 2 operates at up to 192 kHz for ultra-high-definition mixing and recording. High-quality converters on every input and output provide 120 dB of dynamic range to capture complex musical harmonics smoothly and naturally with no audible distortion. And our recallable XMAX Class A analog microphone preamps deliver incredibly high headroom, deep lows, smooth highs, and a rich overall sound so you’ll hear every breath, transient, and detail in your recordings.

At PreSonus, we know that the microphone preamplifier is a key component in the sonic quality of a recording. The Quantum 2 includes four custom-design, high-voltage, Class A XMAX preamps with discrete components for accuracy and transparency.

XMAX preamplifiers are built with three key elements:

Class A. Class A circuits have no crossover distortion and deliver purer, clearer, and more musical results than the Class AB designs that are found in many preamps.

High Voltage. The XMAX preamplifier runs on power rails of 30V. Most off-the-shelf, op-amp-based designs run on power rails of 10V to 18V. Higher-voltage power rails deliver more headroom, deeper lows, smoother highs, and a richer overall sound.

The net result of the XMAX preamp design is high headroom, low noise, wide dynamic range, extended frequency response, and—most important—musicality and transparency.

The Quantum 2’s XMAX preamps offer another advantage: They are recallable. In 1995, PreSonus patented digital control over analog circuits with our first studio product. Building on this legacy, we created a separate digital volume-control circuit ahead of our analog XMAX preamp design, providing the convenience of digital recall without sacrificing fidelity. The preamps can be controlled from the unit’s front panel, from UC Surface control software, from Studio One’s mixer, from Studio One Remote, and via MIDI in Pro Tools, Logic, or Live so you can save the settings with your recordings.

A superior choice for any production environment.

With its pro features and abundant I/O, the Quantum 2 fits into any recording and production environment. You get four balanced line-level outputs, all of which are DC coupled so they can provide control voltage to external analog equipment. Add that to Quantum 2’s expandability, flexible software suite, blazing speed, and superb sound quality, and you have a recording system that will be the heart of your dream studio for years to come.

Tight integration with Studio One.

With the Quantum 2, your audio interface is an integrated extension of your recording environment. The perfect companion for any recording software, the Quantum 2 comes equipped with Studio One Artist to provide you with a complete recording solution. Launch Studio One, and you’ll find full preamp control integrated into your recording environment. Need to track away from your computer? Launch Studio One Remote on your iPad®.

Remote control with UC Surface, too!

The Quantum 2’s onboard features can also be controlled in PreSonus’ free UC Surface control software, so even if you use third-party recording software, you can remotely access them. We even included a real-time analyzer to monitor your audio streams. UC Surface has rapidly won accolades for an intuitive mixing interface that provides quick access to everything you need.

Now includes Studio Magic Plug-in Suite.

This suite of plug-ins adds a wealth of fresh sounds and effects to Studio One. Cherry-picked from the first names in virtual instruments and effects, each plug-in brings a different flavor of practical magic to your songs. These plug-ins aren't gimmicky one-trick ponies — these are real-deal workhorses that you'll rely on for countless mixes.